Improvement in safety faucet-holders



E. HUNZIKER. Safety-Faucet Holder.

No. 219,267. Pat ented Sept. 2,1879.

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WITNESS B INVENTOR: 3

TTORNEYS.

MFEIERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPNER, WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE;

EMILJHUNZIKER, O SOUTH BERGEN, NEW JEEsEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY FAUCET-HOLDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 219,267, dated September 2, 1879; application filed I February 12, 1879.

To all whom it may concern! Be it known that I, EMIL HUNZIKER, of South Bergen, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented anew and Improved Safety Faucet-Holder, of which the following is a specification.

Figure 1 is a plan of the holder- Fig. 2 is an elevation of the holder as applied to a barrel-head.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of this invention is to provide a method of tapping barrels of beer and other liquid and entering a faucet therein without permitting the escape either of gases or liquids therefrom.

It is -a well-known fact that tapping beerbarrels and inserting the faucet is almost invariably attended with considerable loss of beer, that is violently expelled by the pressure of the gases within the barrel, and with an escape of much of the confined gases. This loss of beer is in itself a serious matter; but

the loss of the gases is still more so, as the remaining beer quickly becomes flat, stale, and unprofitable.

My invention consists of the stretcher A, with a groove in its under side, in which slides the adjustable toe A. The stretcher has two legs, wide apart and of unequal length, that have beveled toes to fit, as does toe A, in the groove in the chine of the barrel.

On one leg is an ear, I), in which is inserted the perpendicular rod or standard B, on which slides the arm 0, that carries the screw-hook D.

The bore in'the end of the arm 0 inwhich the screw-hook is held may be furnished with a keyway and the shank of the hook with a correspondingspline; or both may be squared, or some other device may be employed to prevent the screw-hook from turning in the bore, while, instead of by a screw, the hook maybe furnished with and adjusted by a lever, toggle-joint, or equivalent device.

Higher up on the rod is the collar E, and between G and E, coiled around the standard,

is a strong spiral spring, F. When put to use the apparatus is placed on the barrel-head in such a position that the spigot in the barrel shall appear about mid.

way in the space between its legs. The toe A is then so adjusted by the screw G, that passes through the lug c on it and the lug d on the stretcher, that all the toes are firmly wedged in the chine-grooves, so that no ordinary upward pressure can move the holder. The collar E and arm 0 are then raised high enough for a faucet to be put within the hook D, which is made to tightly grasp it by turning the thumb-screw f. Then the arm is swung so as to bring the lower end of the fancet to rest upon the spigot, the spring F holding it in place. The collar E is then moved down to compress the spring F as much as possible, and securedin that position by thumbscrew g and pin h, that-is to be inserted in a hole in the standard just above the collar. Then,.witl1 a hammer, a sharp blow or several blows are struck upon the head of the faucet,

in order to make it force the spigot intothe barrel and assume its place. As it moves in ward under each blow the spring F may be correspondingly compressed by the downward adjustment of the collar, so that when finally the faucet has replaced the spigot it is held so firmly in place by the combined action of the spring and screw-hook that it cannot be moved by the pressure of the gases within the barrel, norcan any of the gases or liquid escape around it.

When the faucet is ultimately secured in place by further blows of the hammer, the holder is removed by reversing the operations or manipulations that were observed in securing it to the barrel-head.

These safety faucet-holders are adapted to kegs, barrels, hogsheads, or vessels of anycapacity containing liquids of any character, and are applied with equal facility to the head of the barrel or vessel when it stands on end and when it rests on its bilge. Their use prevents the loss of a drop of the liquid or the smallest measure of gas when a barrel is tapped.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pateut- 1. In the construction of a faucet-holder, the stretcher A, toe A, standard B, arm 0, screw-hook D, collar E, and spiral spring F, combined substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The standard B, arm 0, hook D, collar E,

and spiral spring F, in the construction of an apparatus designed tohold a faucet securely as it is being used in tapping abarrel or other vessel containing liquid of any kind, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The stretcher A, with a sliding toe, A, adjusted by the screw G, or its equivalent, in the construction of a, faucet-holder, substantially as herein shown and described.

4. In the construction of a faucet-holder,-a stretcher with beveled toes, in combination with an adjustable beveled toe, A, suhsta-w ti-(tlly as herein shown and described. 

